Read My Car by Byron Barton. Discuss with children what Sam does to keep safe on the streets. (He obeys the laws, he stops for pedestrians, he reads the signs, and he drives carefully.) Talk about seatbelts and how they protect us in case of an accident. Place pictures on the felt board and talk about how the items in the pictures keep us safe: blinkers, headlights, seatbelts, signs, light signals, pedestrian crossings, eyes, ears, safety signs, etc.

Talk with children about how to ride safely in a car. Go over the following tips with children:

Car Rider Safety Tips

A child who weighs less than 40 pounds should ride in a safety seat.

A child who weights more than 40 pounds should use a booster seat.

Wear a seat belt.

Keep hands inside car windows.

Speak quietly, so the driver will not be distracted.

Keep car doors locked.

Music and Movement

Play a tambourine to match the speed of the movements. This sequence should encourage careful listening so that children move to the speed of the music throughout. The focus of the music is to get children to listen to changes in tempo and to adjust their movement to fit.

Have children pretend to be cars. Have them use a paper plate as a steering wheel and have them drive their car quite fast. When you stop playing the tambourine, cars need to stop.

Have children pretend to drive a heavy truck slowly up a steep hill.

Have children lie on their back on the floor and pretend to ride a bicycle. Have them pedal at a slow, medium, and fast pace.

Pretend Play
Invite children to use play figures on your pretend street or road map on the floor or table to show you how to cross the street safely.

Visitors
Invite a traffic police person to visit your classroom and talk about street safety. Go outside with children and practice crossing the street safely.

Movement Activities

Firefighter's Workout

Firefighters need to stay healthy and strong to be able to carry the heavy fire equipments. Let children join you in a firefighter's workout. Do exercises like jumping jacks, leg lifts, running in place, and carrying buckets full of water from one place to another, etc.

Before I Cross the Street
Before I cross the street
I look left, then right,
Then left and right again.
When there are no cars,
I can safely cross the street.
I cross at a traffic light or at a crosswalk.